This documen is made available elecronically by he Minnesoa Legislaive Reference Library as par of an ongoing digial archiving projec. hp://www.leg.sae.mn.us/lrl/lrl.asp Unrequesed Leave of Absence A REPORT TO THE LEGSLATURE r1arch 1 1983
nroducion The Laws of r1innesoa for 1982 Chaper 548 Aricle 4 Secion 22 saes: "By ~1arch 1 19R3 he :erarmen of educaion shall evaluae exising law and sae board rules governing supervisory and adminisraive personnel and shall assess wheher hese laws and rules have resuled in disproporionaely small numbers of supervisory and adminisraive personnel being placed on unrequesed leave of absence as compared wih insrucional personn@l. The depar~n may recommend changes in law or rule as necessary o ensure an equiable balance in placing disric personnel on unrequesed leaves of absence which may include consolidaion of ae'linisraive posiions. 1 During he spring and summer of 1982 a leer was sen by he Minnesoa Deparmen of Educaion (MOE) o legislaors who had been insrumenal in passing his saue. Also a leer was sen o such professional organizaions as ~1EA 1FT HASSP f 1ESPA MASA and USDA o obain heir response. All of hese people and organizaions were asked for opinions which would be helpful as he daa collecion process was begun. From his reaues several leers and elephone calls were rece1ved and wo personal conferences were held which helped define he parameers of he repor. Wih his informaion ann informaion gained from consulans wihin MOE i was deermined ha he bes daa source was he daa submied o MOE by school disrics each fail in heir Elemenary and Secondary Personnel Repor. Using he informaion colleced in hese repors along wih a review of exising saues and rules peraining o school disric personnel his repor will address he issues raised in Secion 22 and will supply informaion ha hopefully will provide some enlighmen o a somewha cloudy siuaion. The pressing issue raised by Secion 22 is over he pas years has here been a disproporionaely small number of supervisory and ad~inisraive personnel placed on unrequesed leave of absence as compared wih insrucional personnel? The following able sheds some ligh on his ~uesion. (See nex page.) This able shows he number of public school professional personnel by caegory acually laid off for he four years 1977-78 - 1980-81. (Daa for he mos recen year 1981-82 will be available by April 11983 and will be forwarded o he f egislaure alemg wih new five year oal figures as soon as possible). mus be rem ered ha hese numbers represen he people acua11y placed on unrequesed leave in he spring and no rehired by he school disric for he following fall. Thus he nljl1bers are lower han jus collecing daa on he oal number of educaors placed on unrequesed leave by all public school disrics in Minnesoa each spring. 1
J CHANGES N SCHOOL PERSONNEL EMPLOYMENT (Number of Employed Changes from Previous Year Number and Percen laid Off) TOTAL 1977-78 1978-79 1979-80 1980-81 1977-78 hru 1980-81 77-78 78-79 79-80 77-78 : NO. :1 NO. :1 TO ' NO. :% TO NO. :x TO :% TO CATEGORY OF NO. LAD ~AD NO. LAD:lAD 78-79 :; of NO. LAO:LAD 79-80 :X OF NO. lao'lad 80-81 :% OF laj~lad 80-81 :1 OF SCH. PERSONNEl Ff>LYD. orr 'Off EMPLYD. OFF.OFF CHANGE :CHANGE EMPlYO. OFF 'OFF CHANGE 'CHANGE EMPLYD. OFF OFF CHAr~GE CBANGE NUMBER OFF :OFF CHANGE' CHANGE Secondary 83.218 Teachers 21.452 285 1.3 21112 374 : 1.8-280 - 1. 3 2U.467 306 1.5 - ]()5-3.3 20.127 338 1.7-340 -1.7 303' 1.6 1325-1.6 Elemenary Teachers 17 fl9j 16& 0.9 17662 110 0.6 -Z31-1.3 1/616 71 D.4-46 -0.3 17536 183 1.0-80 -0.5 7U7U7 536 0.8-357 -0.5 Toal Elen. 153925 & Secondary 39.345 451 1.1 38834 484 1.2-511 - 1. 3 38083 383 1.0-751 -1.9 37663 57.1 1.4-420 -1.1 839 1.2-1.682-1.1 Sp1!cia 1 Ed. Teach~rs 4.647 19 0.4 5162 12 0.2 +515 '+11.1!>426 19 0.4 +264 +5.1 5802 53 0.9 +376 +6.9 21037 103 0.5 +1155 +5.5 Toal 1\11 Teachers 43.992 470 1.1 43.996 496 1.1 + 4 0.0 43509 402 0.9-487 -1.1 4.$465 574 1.3-44 -0.1 174.962 942 1.1-527 -0.3 Secondary 3.80 Q Pri"cipals 962 2: 0.2 942 0: 0.0-20 - 2.1!J55 l) 0.0 + 13 +1.4 950 5 0.5-5 -0.5 17 0.2-12 -0.3 Elemenary Principals 812 0: U.O 186 2: 0.3-26 - 3.2 781 2 0.3-5 -0.6 785 1 0.1 + 4 +0.5 3.1611 5 0.2-27 -0.9 18911 J2:0.1- ' ~ 5.6 1218 5 ~.4 1340 100: 0.7 + Superinenden< 484 0: 0.0 483 0: 0.0-1 - 0.2 470 0 0.0-13 -2.7 457 0 0.0-13 -2.8 0.0.0-27 -1.4 Toal Supf-'s & Prindpa1s 2258 2: 0.1 2.211 2: 0.1-47 - 7..1 2206 2 0.1-5 -0.2 2192 6 0.3-14 -0.6 8861 66-0.7 Oher Adlllinis. 1129 3; 0.7 1196 4: 0.3 j 67 + 2:? +1.8 1206 5 0.4-12 -1.0 474_ 17: 0.3 ~ 71 +1.6 All Oh~rs" 3.261 26: 0.8 3183 30: 0.9-78 : - 2.4 3405 16 0.5 +222 +6.5 3552 28 0.8 ~147 +4.1 291 17.2 Toal. All Educaioll 50640 501: 1.0 50586 532: 1.1-54 : - 0.1 50.338 425: 0.8-248 -0.5 50415 613 1.2 177 +0.1 20197 071! 1.0-225 -0.1.~upil Personnel Services Media and library all oher assignmens. Sources: Personnel licensing & Placemen ~ecion and Educaional Uaa Sysems Seclon Minnesoa Deparmen of Educaion.
The able also includes complemen change figures for each caegory compared o he previous year. \~ha his caegory shows is how many oal people are employed in a caegory in any given year and when compared o a previous year indicaes how much change occured in he complemen whaever he cause. This figure includes: new hirees ino educaion people reurning o employmen in educaion people placed on unrequesed leave who are rehired people changing from one level of ~ploymen o anoher wihin educaion people laid off rehirees people leaving educaion volunarily as well as he people reurning o heir level of employmen from he previous year. should be remembered ha his is self-repor daa compleed by school disric personnel as par of he MOE Elemenary and Secondary. Personnel Repor colleced in he fall of each year. is subjec o he same accuracy quesions ha any such daa migh elici. Analysis n response o he issue raised in Secion 22 have "disproporionaely small numbers of supervisory and adminisraive personnel been placed on unrequesed leave of absence as compared wih insrucional personnel" i is rue ha a significan lower percenage of supervisory and adminisraive personnel has been laid off han insrucional personnel. For insance e1~nary and secondary eachers excluding special educaion eachers have had a 1.2 percen average acual lay-off rae over he four years included in he able while superinendens and elemenary and secondary principals (including posiions classified as assisan or associae a hese levels) have averaged 0.1 percen lay-off rae over he same period of ime. This is rue if one compares insrucional personnel o all oher ypes of adminisraors as well. This does no ell he whole sory however and m~be no even be he mos imporan par. Wha appears o be more imporan is: Wha has happened o he numbers for he Qa1 complemen wihin a caegory from one academic year o he nex? During hese same four years he oal nu~er of elemenary and secondary eachers acually in he classroom exclusive of special educaion eachers wen down by 1.1 %. The nlj!1ber of superinendens and principals acually adminisering in he schools wen down by 0.7% for ha same period. So wha a firs glance migh appear o be a dispariy. in realiy a leas o any grea degree is no. Wha i does mean mos likely 1s ha mos superinendens and principals are involved in he personnel decision-making process much earlier han eachers and have more ime and. freedom o selec heir geographic locaion and hus o choose o leave a given posiion (or he occupaion) by choice raher han waiing o receive an official noificaion by he disric. 3
Looking a he daa more closely while on a percenage basis he oal number of secondary principals has d ~lined less rapidly han he oal number of secondary eachers during he ime period he oal number of elemenary principals has acually declined more rapidly han he oal number of elemenary eachers. Also he oal number of superinendens has declined more rapidly han any caegory excep secondary eachers. A leas hree oher pieces of significan informaion are apparen from he daa in he able. One while here have been some people dismissed from posiions in he special educaion classroom here has been a significan increase in he oal number of posiions in his field over he four years included in he able. This increase amouns o 1155 acual new posiions. is possible ha some of he classroom eachers dismissed have been reassigned or relocaed ino some of hese special educaion posiions. Secondly here has been an increase in he number of oher adminisra~ve posiions wihin school disrics over his four year span of ime. This amouns o 291 new posiions or a 2.2 percen increase. Alhough some of hese migh be due o he growh in he field of special educaion i is probably safe o assume here has been an increase in he number of adminisraive posiions ha do no carry he ile of superinenden or principal. should be noed ha he lay-off percenage for his caegory is more similar o ha of superinendens and principals han i is o classroom eachers. also should be noed a his ime ha while Minnesoa saue and rule does sipulae cerain condiions for he elllp.loymen of superinendens and principals almos all of he posiions in he caegory of noher Adminisraors" are no regulaed by sae saue and rule bu are conrolled by local opion. Thirdly here has been an increase in numbers over his ime span in he caegory ha includes pupil personnel services (counselors social workers psychologiss) media and library personnel and oher suppor services. This caegory has had a lay-off rae very similar o elemenary eachers (0.7%) bu has had a real increase of 291 posiions or a 2.2 percen oal increase despie hese lay-offs over he four years. This increase seems o be spread raher evenly over he areas included in his miscellaneous caegory and i would be he pures form of ~peculaion o ry o derive some paern from he daa. Conclusions and Recommendaions 1. f being placed on unrequesed leave is narrowly defined as placing professional educaors on unrequesed leave in he spring and no rehiring hem in he fall hen i appears clear ha a higher percenage of classroom eachers have been laid off as compared o adminisraors over he four year ime span included in he repor. 2. However when he oal complemen figures are compared from one year o he nex he decline in complemen for principals and superinendens nearly approximaes ha of he decline for classroom eachers. 4
3. Proximiy o and paricipaion in he decision-making process wihin a disric see~s o affec who is placed on unreouesed leave bu no necessarily he final deerirrfjnaion of wheher a 'posiion is acually eliminaed. 4. There has been an increase in he caegory "All Ohers" which includes pupil personnel services library and media services and all oher non-classroon or non-adminisraive assignmens. 5. There has been an incr~ase in he number of adminisraors whose posiions are no labe'led superinenden or principal. 6. When he oal complemen figures are compared for hose adminisraive caegories which are mandaed by sau~e and rule (superinendens and principals) wih hose adminisraors \~ose posiions are no mandaed i is apparen ha here has been a decrease in he mandaed adminisraive caegories and an increase in hose adminisraive caegories ha are no mandaed. This would sugges ha presen saues and rules are no major facors in deermining who is placed on unrequesed leave or which posiions are eliminaed. 7. A1hough he 1ay-off percenage figures do no di ffer as much as ihe oal complemen percenage figures here does appear o be an inequiy when oal classroom eacher c~plemen numbers are compared wih hose for "Oher Adminisraors ll and "All Ohers" caegories. These decisions are made no for reasons of exising sae saues and rules however bu for local reasons and a local opion. 8. There appears o be no rules or saues governing supervisory and adminisraive personnel ha would need o be changed a his ime o guaranee equiy if equiy is defined in enns of reducion in oal complemen wihin a caego~ raher han jus educaional personnel officially being placed on unrequesed leave. 9. Even wih he large increase in special educaion eachers he acual number of professional educaors declined during he four year span included in his repor. 5